Dr. Haber’s research focuses on the neural network underlying learning and decision-making that leads to action plan development. The cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic system is central to this network and comprises a diverse group of structures involved in reward and motivation, cognition and motor control. Pathology of this network is implicated in several mental health disorders including drug addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. Her lab is addressing the hypothesis that cortico-basal ganglia connections are critical for integrating information across functional domains. The lab is also investigating which pathways are stimulated during deep brain stimulation, a therapy now being actively investigated for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder and understanding postnatal changes in the cortico-basal ganglia system associated with specific developmental milestones and the high level of plasticity during early learning.

Dr. Haber received her Ph.D. in neuro-and bio-behavioral sciences from Stanford University.